Biography

Hutton was born 26 July 1797 in Sunderland, but was settled in Newcastle-on-Tyne by 1827. He was an agent of the Norwich Fire Insurance Company

Norwich Union

Norwich Union was the name given to insurance company Aviva's British arm before June 2009. It was originally established in 1797. It is the biggest life insurance provider in the United Kingdom, and has a strong position in motor insurance...

. He soon acquired a reputation as a practical geologist, an authority upon the coal measures, and an ardent collector of coal-fossils. It was said that 'The fossils of our coal-fields first found an exponent in him.' John Buddie gave him great advantages in his researches. He was an honorary secretary of the Newcastle Natural History Society from its foundation in 1829 till he left Newcastle in 1846. He wrote a number of papers fot the society's 'Transactions' between 1831 and 1838.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June, 1840.

He helped establish mechanics' institutes in the north of England. He was a fellow of the London Geological Society, and contributed papers to its ' Transcastle in 1846, Hutton settled at Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

, but returned to Newcastle in 1857, and then West Hartlepool

West Hartlepool

This article refers to the place; for the Rugby Football Club see West Hartlepool R.F.C.West Hartlepool refers to the western part of the what has since the 1960s been known as the borough of Hartlepool in North East England...

, where he died 20 Nov. 1860.

His portrait, by Carrick, is in the possession of the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers at Newcastle-on-Tyne. After his death Professor G. A. Lebour edited from his papers and from those of Dr. Lindley 'Illustrations of Fossil Plants,' London, 1877; this was published for the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers, and contained a reproduction of Carrick's portrait of Hutton. Hutton's valuable collections of fossils, which passed to the council of the Mining Institute, is now partly in the Museum of the Natural History Society at Newcastle, and partly in the Museum of the Durham College of Physical Science in the same town.